THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 375 



Genus Hemitripterus Cuvier. 



The Sea Ravens. 

 Hemitripterus americanus (Gmelin). 

 Plate 81. 

 Sea Raven. 



Head 2^; depth 4; A. IV, XII-I, 12; A. 13; tubercles in 

 lateral line about 45 to base of caudal; snout 2,H i^i head, meas- 

 ured from tip of upper jaw; eye 6%; maxillary i^^Ae; inter- 

 orbital space 33/5; width of mouth ij4; second dorsal spine 2; 

 sixth dorsal ray 2^/iq ; ninth anal ray 2V10 5 least depth of caudal 

 peduncle 5J^ ; caudal i3/^; pectoral 1%; ventral 2^. Body 

 moderately elongate. Head large, broad, well convex above, 

 flattened below. Snout broad, convexly elevated. Eye elongate 

 or ellipsoid, in first third of head and high. i\Iouth very wide, 

 nearly horizontal. Mandible protruding. Maxillary reaching 

 a little beyond eye. Teeth slender, sharp, conic, numerous and 

 in rather broad bands in jaws, on vomer and palatines. Inter- 

 orbital space and top of head medianly concave, former with a 

 large depression in shape of plumb-bob. Nasal spines strong. 

 Supraocular ridge much elevated, with 2 blunt osseous tubercles. 

 On each side of occiput 2 blunt osseous tubercles, outside of 

 which and a little anterior 3 others. Opercle small, with bony 

 ridge. Posterior margin of preopercle with 2 strong blunt 

 spines, lower longer and horizontal. Suborbital stay very strong, 

 forming a sharp ridge. Gill-rakers as several broad finely as- 

 perous tubercles. Body villous, prickles enlarged and tubercle- 

 like along back and lateral line. Supraocular ridge with 2 dermal 

 flaps, and 3 pairs of fleshy flaps on nasal bones. Smaller ones on 

 maxillary and preorbital, several on lower jaw. Spinous dorsal 

 much longer than soft part, first 2 spines highest, and origin of 

 fin about midway between tip of snout and base of tenth spine. 

 Fourth and fifth shorter than those succeeding and fin deeply 

 notched. Rayed dorsal inserted about midway between origin 

 of pectoral and base of caudal, margin entire and a little higher 



